Soft Skills Hard Results: The 30-day Gratitude Challenge

By Anne Taylor, author of Soft Skills Hard Results: A Practical Guide to People Skills for Analytical Leaders.

Want one simple daily practice that can make you happier, healthier, more optimistic, have better relationships and enhance your career?

Extensive research* confirms that it’s a regular gratitude practice. Here’s how simple it is.

Every evening for 30 days I challenge you to grab a notebook or journal and write down the things from the day for which you are grateful. Physically write them down, as that engages your eyes, your hand and your brain, making it a multisensory experience. If you only think about them then they are just fleeting thoughts. A ‘gratitude’ is something from the day that is positive about you, others, your life, your environment etc. People, actions, anything for which you’re thankful. It’s an appreciation for the good things in your day.

Start with writing three gratitudes from the day. At first it might be hard, almost like you must ‘make them up.’ You’ll have to reflect on your day, almost analyse your day, to find the gratitudes.

Here’s a few examples from my early practice: my neighbour’s cat, Jack, visiting and purring; my patience at the return line at Ikea; and it’s Friday so dining out, no dishes.

As you continue the practice you will find yourself looking intentionally for things through the day to be grateful for, as you know you’ll have to write them down later that night. Over time, that evolves into noticing them throughout the day: ‘Oh, that’s a gratitude,’ or ‘Hmmm, I’m thankful for that.’ Eventually you’ll see them many times through the day without consciously trying; it will become habitual, a way of natural observation, a mindset of gratitude.

By looking at the world through the lens of gratitude you will experience the myriad of benefits quoted in the extensive research.

Visit my website www.directions-coaching.com to get a free download of the Gratitude Practice worksheet, which is more extensive than what I’ve outlined here.

Living a life of gratitude is just one of ten practical principles in my book, Soft Skills Hard Results, to help even the most analytical of leaders develop their emotional intelligence and personal effectiveness.

* For example: https://www.happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/ and https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/benefits-gratitude-research-questions/

Anne Taylor is a specialist in the field of leadership and emotional intelligence. As an Executive Coach and Author, she is passionate about helping successful, results-driven professionals use people skills to be more effective leaders and have more satisfying success Her Website www.directions-coaching.com offers a range of downloadable complimentary materials, a complimentary 60 minute clarity session and the first chapter of her new book, Soft Skills Hard Results.